Position-indicator for elevators.



H. 6. LEE.

POSITION INDICATOR FOR ELEVATORS.

' APPLICATION FILED MAR 25;19l5.

1,1 97,507. Patented Sept. 5,1916.

WITNESSES.-

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY G. LEE, 0F TACOMA, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EARL H. ROBBINS, OF TACOMA, WASHINGTON.

POSITION-INDICATOR FOR ELEVATORS.

Application filed March 25, 1915.

This invention relates to devices adapted to be placed in one elevator cage for indicating theposition of another elevator cage, and has for 1ts ob ects to. provide a snnple,

cheap, and effective means whereby the operator of the elevator car in which the de; vice is mounted may at all times know the position and direction of motion of the other car by which this device is actuated.

A further object is to provide a device which will indicate the direction of motion of the said car without the addition of a special electric circuit for the purpose.

I attain these and other objects by the devices, mechanisms, circuits and arrangements illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of the indicating mechanism, the side of its containing box having been cut away to reveal its interior; Fig. 2 is a view comprising a front view of the indicating mechanism together with a perspective view of the controlling .device and, in diagrammatic form, showing the wiring connection between said indicating mechanism and said controlling device, and the mechanical connection between the controlling device and the elevator mechanism.

. Similar numerals of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Where more than one elevator is used in an-oiiice or other building it is a difiicult matter to so operate them that they will be timed to give the best and most rapid service. For this reason it has been the custom to use special employees to start the elevators from the ground floor at uniformly spaced intervals, or-for one elevatorto ring a gong or flash a light when it has reached a predetermined point.

One of my devices is mounted in an elevator for each other elevator in the service and indicates to the operator the position and direction of motion of each of the said other cars, thus eliminating the necessity of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 191i. Serial No. 16,876.

a special starterand enabling the cars to maintain an established spacing throughout their trips.

In the drawings one elevator is shown and one indicator instrument operated thereby, it being understood that said instrument may either be placed in another car or may be located at any other convenient place.

The elevator 1 is suspended. by'a cable 2 .which passes from a suitably driven and controlled drum 3. The said drum 3 is connected by suitable gears 4 or other appropriate devices to a spindle 5 which is there fore driven by the said drum. The spindle 5 is mounted on and passes through a disk 6 of insulating material on which are also mounted four rings 7, 8, 9 and 10 each of which is concentric with said spindle 5. An arm 11 is mounted on the spindle 5 and turns therewith. The said arm 11 turns through av definite angle when the car 1 traverses the distance from one-floor to another,

the value of said angle depending on the.

gearing i and the arrangement of the cable 2; A series of contact plates 12 are mounted in a circular path, preferably outside of the ring 10, said plates being so spaced that the arm will pass from one to the next adjacent plate when the elevator passes from one floor to the next. The space between said plates 12 is preferably filled level with their surface with a suitable insulatingmaterial 13. All the contact plates 12 are electrically connected together by a conductor 14 and are all also connected to one terminal 15 of the main electric circuit from which the energy necessary for the actuation of the device is derived in the usual way. The other terminal 16 of the said main circuit is connected to the inner ring 7. The arm 11 is preferably made of insulating material andcarries a brush 17 engaging the said ring 7.. The brush 1? is electrically connected to a con ductor plate 18 mounted on the arm 11 and having two contact lugs 19 and :20 extending upward therefrom. A pair of contact brushes 21 and are pivotally mounted on opposite sides of the arm 11. is positioned to contact with the ring 8 at all times and swings on its pivot to engage the contact lug 19 of the plate 18 (as shown) when the arm 11 is moving in a clockwise direction but to be disenga ed therefrom The brush 21 ate T ti. lug; it), and brush 21 when the arm ll. moves in a cloclnvise direction. The brush 2:2 is oppositely mounted to contact with the ring i aiulswine's on its pivot to engage the contact lop 21) ot the plate 18 when the arm 11 is moving: in a counten clockwise direction. but to be disengaged therefrom (as' shown) when the arm moves in a clockwise direction; there'lore the ring 9 is electrically connected to the ring i through the brush 1?. plate 18, lug 20 and brush 22 when the arm ll moves in a counterclockwise direction. The arm ll also carries a double brush :23 which contacts with the. ring ll) and with the contact plates 12 as it moves therepast, thus intermittently connecting therinp; with the main circuit through the brush 2?). The arm ll turns in a clockwise direction when the elevator is traveling; downward. as shown. and in a countercloclrwise direction when the elevator is moving upward.

The instrument which indicates the loca tion of the elevator and its direction of motion is electrically connected to the rings ES. 9 and 10 as hereinafter described and consists of a box or container having a hole 31 in its face through which the number of the floor at which the car is positioned and the direction in which it is moving is seen. disk is revolubly mounted in the b0 30 near its front face and is provided with a series of consecutive numbers corresponding with the floors ot the building. The

disk 32 has a series of teeth or pins extending from its rear face, one such pin bemg provided for arch iloor. it. series of notches 3% are made in the edge of the disk 32 and a spring 35 presses therein thus keeping the disk from being shaken or jolted out of its proper position. it pair of electro magnets 36 and 3? are mounted in the icon 30, one on eachside ot' the axis of the disk, as shown, both of said magnets being" con: nected at one teraninal with the common wire 38 which passesto the above described outer ring 10. magnet 36 is connected by a wire 39 to the ring 9, and the other terminal of the magnet 3? is connected by the wire 40 to the ring" 8. The armatures, and the operating mechanisms attached thereto or". each magnet are similar and therefore a description of one only is given; they are however mounted to engage pins on opposite sides of the disk. lThe armature 41 is lifted upward by the electromagnet when is ener. and car ries an extension 4-9 above it. no extension has a pivoted foot or pawl t3, mounted on its-upper end. which is adapted to engage under the teeth or pins 83 to push 1cm upward. but to turn on its pivot out of the way ol said pins as the said armature its therefore the ring; S electrically coned to the ring i through the. brush 1?,-

lhe other terminal of the tension passes downward to its normal onenergized position. The paw] of the 11mgnet 36 thus causes the disk 32 to turn in a clockwise direction when the elevator is moving upward. said motion ot the disk causing the number of the next higher tloor to appear opposite the hole 3i when the brush 23 has made contact, with the next plate 12. and as each such plate 12 is thus engaged the magnet energized and the disk turned one notch and indicates one higher tloor. slll'lllfilly the pawl of the magnet 37 causes the disk 32 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction when the elevator is moving downward, thus causing the indi cated number to be reduced by one unitevery time the brush 23 engages the plates 12. Thus it will be seen that the disk will always show the number of the tioor at which the elevator is positioned.

Now, in order to indicate in which direction the elevator is traveling I mount a carrier ti on the pivot 45 at a pointcentrall v positioned between the two magnets 36 and. 37 and below the disk 32, said carrier having" an arm to extending to ard the left and adapted to be engaged by a pin t7 on the extension 42 of the armature ot the magnet 36, and also an opposite arm 4:8 similarly adapted to be engaged hy a pin 4.) on the corresponding parts of the magnet 37. Two arms and 51 also extend from the upper end of the carrier ist, in line with the lower part of the hole 31L the arm 50 having the g L legend lUp implanted thereon while the arm 51 has Down imprinted thereon. A pair of notches are made in the carrier-near the pivot 45 thereof, and a spring 52 engages either the one or the other to holdit in position. When a magnet is energized it raises the extension and the pin 4t? or 49 thereof. "When the elevator starts to go down then the first action of the clown magnet 37 when it is energized, causes the pin a9 to engage the arm and tip the can trier so that the down" arm 51 comes 0pposite the hole 31,-as shown; atterward,

each additional time the said magnet is energised for each floor that is passed downward by the elevator, the carrier remains in said position. But. as soon as the up magnet 36 is energized, the pin t7 engages the arm 46 and throws the carrier to its other position so that the up arm 50 comes in line with the hole 31. This apparatus there- :tore is installed and operates 1n the following' manner z-ne indicating bolt 30 is placed at each point where it is desired to watch the movements of the elevator by "which it is operated; for instance, one hos may be in the ottice of the buiiding engineer; another in that of the building manager: and" one in each other elevator in the building. The elevator, as it moves from one floor to another, causes .one electric impulse to pass through one or the other magnet 36 or 37 in each of the said boxes in the circuit magnets and turns each disk 32 one notch so that the floor indicated through the hole is raised or lowered one integer in each box 30. If the elevator is at the bottom of the shaft, the disks 32 of all the boxes 30 controlled thereby will show the numeral 1, but as soon as it moves therefrom to the 2nd floor the up magnet 36 in each box is energized and the armature 41 is lifted, thus moving the disk to indicate 2 and also moves the carrier at so that the legend Up is also exposed through the hole, thus indicating to the engineer, manager, and each operator of the other elevators that this elevator is at the 2nd floor and is going up. This is continued as each floor is reached until the elevator starts down, when the down magnet 37 in each box 30 is energized, thus causing the disks 32 to turn back one notch to indicate one less number for the floor and also moving the carrier 44 so that the legend Down is exposed and indicat ing that the elevator is moving downward Having described my invention, what I claim is:

In a device of the class described, the combination withv a box having an indicator opening therein; a pair of electro-magnets Within the box; rotatable means mounted within the box and actuated by either of said magnets through a unit distance in one direction or the other and adapted to indicate through the hole the position of a moving car; a pair of electric circuits, of each of which one of said magnets forms a part; means operated by the moving car and adapted to intermittentlycomplete one or the other of said circuits when the car reaches a series 01": predetermined places traveling in one direction or the other, whereby said means is rotated a unit (118; j tance lIl one direction or the other each time the circuit is thus completed; and means mounted within the box and operated by said magnets whereby the last magnet energized is indicated at said opening to indicate the direction of motion of said moving car.

. HARRY Gr. LEE. Witnesses: M, F. MGNEIL,

C. A. SMITH. 

